Talks on Manures / A Series of Familiar and Practical Talks Between the Author and the Deacon, the Doctor, and Other Neighbors, on the Whole Subject - Joseph Harris

“Possibly,” said I, “on light, sandy soil, such an annual dressing of manure would in the course of a few years make the land too rich for wheat. But on a clayey soil, such is evidently not the case. And the fact is a very important one. When we apply manure, our object should be to make it as available as possible. Nature preserves or conserves the food of plants. The object of agriculture is to use the food of plants for our own advantage.”

“Please be a little more definite,” said the Deacon, “for I must confess I do not quite see the significance of your remarks.”

“What he means,” said the Doctor, “is this: If you put a quantity of soluble and available manure on land, and do not sow any crop, the manure will not be wasted. The soil will retain it. It will change it from a soluble into a comparatively insoluble form. Had a crop been sown the first year, the manure would do far more good than it will the next year, and yet it may be that none of the manure is lost. It is merely locked up in the soil in such a form as will prevent it from running to waste. If it was not for this principle, our lands would have been long ago exhausted of all their available plant-food.”

“I think I understand,” said the Deacon; “but if what you say is true, it upsets many of our old notions. We have thought it desirable to plow under manure, in order to prevent the ammonia from escaping. You claim, I believe, that there is little danger of any loss from spreading manure on the surface, and I suppose you would have us conclude that we make a mistake in plowing it under, as the soil renders it insoluble.”

“It depends a good deal,” said I, “on the character of the soil. A light, sandy soil will not preserve manure like a clay soil. But it is undoubtedly true that our aim in all cases should be to apply manure in such a form and to such a crop as will give us the greatest immediate benefit. Plowing under fresh manure every year for wheat is evidently not the best way to get the greatest benefit from it. But this is not the place to discuss this matter. Let us look at the result of Mr. Lawes’ experiments on wheat the third year:”

Experiments at Rothamsted on the Growth of Wheat, Year after Year, on the same Land.

TABLE III.—MANURES AND PRODUCE; 3RD SEASON, 1845-6. MANURES AND SEED (OLD RED LAMMAS), SOWN AUTUMN, 1845.

Manures

Produce

FM Farmyard Manure.

A3W Ash from 3 loads (3,888 lbs.) Wheat-straw.

LWM Liebig’s Wheat-manure.

PG Peruvian Guano.

SiP Silicate of Potass.¹

P-A Pearl-ash.

S-A Soda-ash.

MLS Magnesian Lime-stone.

SPL Superphosphate of Lime.

B-A Bone-ash.

SAc Sulphuric Acid (Sp. gr. 1-7.)

MAc Muriatic Acid.

SAm Sulphate of Ammonia.

MAm Muriate of Ammonia.

RC Rape-Cake.

Wt/Bu. Weight per Bushel.

OC Offal Corn.

TC Total Corn.

S&C Straw and Chaff.

TP Total Produce (Corn and Straw).

C Corn.

TP Total Produce.

OCD Offal Corn to 100 Dressed.

C100 Corn to 100 Straw.

	FM	A3W	LWM	PG	SiP	P-A	S-A	MLS	B-A	SAc	MAc	SAm	MAm	RC	Quantity	Wt/Bu.	OC	TC	S&C	TP C&S	C	S&C	TP	OC 100	C100
P l o t s.	Manures perAcre.														Produce perAcre, etc.						Increase perAcre by Manure.
									SPL						Dressed corn.
	Tons.		lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	Bush. Pks.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.	lbs.
0	..	..	..	336	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	28 1¾	62.3	134	1906	2561	4467	699	1048	1747	7.3	74.4
1	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	..	..	..	..	..	22 0¾	62.6	120	1509	1953	3462	302	440	742	8.1	77.3
2	14	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	27 0¾	63.0	113	1826	2454	4280	619	941	1560	6.6	74.4
3	Unmanured.		..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	17 3¾	63.8	64	1207	1513	2720	..	..	..	7.4	79.7
4	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	..	224	224	..	..	25 3¾	63.5	130	1777	2390	4167	570	877	1447	7.8	74.3
5a{1	..}	Straw Ash.	{..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	19 0½	63.7	87	1305	1541	2846	98	28	126	..	84.6
{2	..}		{..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224¹	..	..	27 0	63.0	126	1827	2309	4136	620	796	1416	..	79.1
5b{1	..}		{..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	448	23 2½	63.4	100	1598	1721	3319	391	208	599	..	92.8
{2	..}		{..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224¹	..	448	30 0¾	63.3	165	2076	2901	4977	869	1388	2257	..	71.6
6a	..	..	448	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	20 1½	63.7	102	1400	1676	3076	193	163	356	7.0	83.6
6b	..	..	448	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	112	112	..	29 0¾	63.5	114	1967	2571	4538	760	1058	1818	5.3	76.5
7a	..	..	448	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	448	22 3¼	63.0	97	1534	1968	3502	327	405	732	6.8	77.9
7b	..	..	448	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	112	112	448	31 3	63.4	150	2163	3007	5170	956	1494	2450	7.5	72.6
8a	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	..	..	..	..	448	22 3¾	63.5	101	1549	1963	3512	342	450	792	7.1	78.9
8b	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	..	..	112	112	..	29 0¾	63.6	132	1988	2575	4563	781	1062	1843	7.2	77.2
9a	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	448	23 2¾	63.0	122	1614	2033	3647	407	520	927	7.9	79.4
9b	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	..	448	28 3½	63.3	114	1942	2603	4545	735	1090	1825	7.0	74.6
10a	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	..	..	27 1½	63.6	109	1850	2244	4094	643	731	1374	6.4	82.4
10b	Unmanured.		..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	17 2½	63.8	92	1216	1455	2671	9	-58	-49	7.8	83.6
11a	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	224	..	..	..	448	23 1¾	63.3	145	1628	2133	3761	421	620	1041	9.8	76.3
11b	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	224	..	112	112	..	30 0¼	63.2	155	2055	2715	4770	848	1202	2050	6.1	75.7
12a	..	..	..	..	..	..	180	..	224	224	..	..	..	448	24 1½	63.0	125	1661	2163	3824	454	650	1104	7.9	76.8
12b	..	..	..	..	..	..	180	..	224	224	..	112	112	..	28 2¾	63.4	136	1955	2554	4509	748	1041	1789	7.4	76.5
13a	..	..	..	..	..	200	..	..	224	224	..	..	..	448	24 0	63.5	136	1660	2327	3987	453	814	1267	9.1	71.3
13b	..	..	..	..	..	200	..	..	224	224	..	112	112	..	29 1¾	63.2	138	1998	2755	4753	791	1242	2033	7.3	72.5
14a	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	84	224	224	..	..	..	448	23 2½	63.0	117	1605	2031	3636	398	518	916	7.7	79.0
14b	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	84	224	224	..	112	112	..	26 2½	63.4	124	1812	2534	4356	605	1021	1626	7.4	71.5
15a	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	224	..	224	224	..	448	31 1¾	62.5	147	2112	2936	5048	905	1423	2328	7.5	71.9
15b	..	..	..	..	224	..	..	..	224	..	224	224	..	448	27 2¾	63.0	117	1861	2513	4374	654	1000	1654	5.9	74.0
16a	..	..	..	..	..	67	60	84	224	224	..	..	..	448	23 3	62.5	108	1592	2967	3659	385	554	939	7.0	77.0
16b	..	..	..	..	..	67	60	84	224	224	..	224	..	448	30 1	62.7	122	2019	2836	4855	812	1323	2135	6.6	71.2
17a	..	..	..	..	..	67	60	84	224	224	..	112	11	448	33 2¾	62.8	129	2241	3278	5519	1034	1765	2799	5.8	68.3
17b	..	..	..	..	..	67	60	84	224	224	..	224	..	..	30 2	63.0	113	2034	2784	4818	827	1271	2098	5.9	73.0
18a	..	..	..	..	..	67	60	84	224	224	..	112	11	..	31 0	62.8	103	2048	2838	4886	841	1325	2166	5.1	72.2
18b	..	..	..	..	..	67	60	84	224	224	..	..	..	..	21 1	62.0	157	1474	1893	3367	267	380	647	6.6	77.1
19	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	112	..	112	112	..	448	28 3	62.0	107	1889	2425	4314	682	912	1594	5.8	77.9
20}	Mixture of the residueof most of the other manures.										..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
21}											..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
22}											..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..